by Edward Pinniger
1/144 DKM Type XXIII (ICM)
The Type XXIII was a small, electric-powered U-boat designed for coastal operations. Although it entered service in the last months of the war, it managed to sink a number of Allied ships before Germany's surrender. They were armed with two torpedo tubes, with no AA gun armament.
ICM's 1/144 scale Type XXIII is a relatively recent release from this Ukrainian manufacturer. It's a welcome addition to the sizeable number of sub kits in this scale range (which also includes a Type VIIc, VIId and XXI from Revell). When placed next to a Type VII in the same scale, you really get an idea of how small this U-boat was.
The kit (which has a surprisingly small number of parts) is nicely moulded and detailed, with most parts sharply-moulded and in-scale, including the periscope, snorkel and D/F radio loop. All I added to the kit were a couple of aerials from fine brass wire, and crew figures (removable) from modified Peco N-gauge (about 1/144) railway accessories. The model is weathered moderately, with plenty of hull streaking but little actual rust and wear, as these U-boats didn't see wartime service for very long.
